Ligating devices are well known and are used in surgical operations wherever it is necessary to clamp off permanently a vessel, such as a vein. Generally, a U-shaped clip is placed about the vessel to be ligated and then the ligator is actuated to clamp the vessel, by means of the clip. In all heretofore available ligators, the actuation of the ligating mechanism also functioned to feed a clip into position to be formed. Thus, the effort of the surgeon not only did the clamping of the clip, but also the feeding of the clips into position to be clamped.
In the copending Becht application referred to above, a spring urged magazine for clips was provided in one of the two handle members of the ligator and as soon as one clip was clamped, a spring fed a succeeding ligator in position for the next clamping operaton. Other known ligating devices are disclosed in the U.S. Pat. No. 4,152,920 and in U.S. Pat. No. 4,166,466 dated Sept. 4, 1979, in the name of R. J. Jarvick.